2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse Sputters upon acceleration

Hi there, you can run a scan and check for any set fault codes, items like engine ECU sensors will give a code if faulty or out of parameters in there readings, coils can be tested on an oscilloscope, and with a multi meter if you know how to use one, plugs & leads just change and vacuum leaks can be tracked down using a length of hose as a stethoscope, you will soon hear a leak.

Mark (mhpautos)

So I took it to autozone and got them to use a fault code checker. It came back with 2 codes that the guy told me meant misfire on 2, which he said meant ignition coil 2 or spark plug? So I had him reset the ecu and swapped the 2 coils hoping that if the check engine light came on again it would read misfire on 4 ( this is what they told me to do). Only thing is is that the check engine light has yet to come back on but the car is missing like a champ. I had replaced the spark plugs about 3 weeks ago and everyhthing ran fine for 30 minutes and then got worse than before. So now I'm testing the wires. I'm buying a volmeter so I can test the maf, map, and tbp sensors next, then I imagine the fuel line would be the next best bet? Does this sound like a good approach? Thanks again for the help!

HI there, make sure that you now don't have a crossed ignition lead, ignition leads are cheap so i would just change them, i would be thinking that you may have a coil problem so i would be testing that first,

mark

Forgive me but I'm having trouble finding the difference between leads and coils. I know my car has 2 spark plug wires and 2 igntion coils. I looked up how to test ignition coils and that seemed simple enough. But looking at pricing for the coils why are they so expensive. What is it that makes them so much more special than the wire?

Hi there,

The ignition lead or wire as you call it is just that, a carbon lead in an outer insulated cover, the coil is some what more complex, see link for more details.

I hope that this helps explain this.

mark


https://www.2carpros.com/how_does_it_work/ignition.htm

Thanks for all your help. The link you gave me was quite useful! As I said before that I had switched the 2nd and 4th ignition coils to isolate a misfire issue. I did not mix up the leads. I took it back to auto zone and had them scan for fault codes and this time it came back with 2 miss issues with cylinder 4 so I'm guessing it was the coil afterall. Looks like your guess was right as well, thanks again!

I'm curious what it is about the component that generally goes bad? Do you think that trying to use like, an emory cloth to clean the metal components and then applying dielectric grease would be a good idea. If I can avoid spending $80 for a component that may just need to be cleaned j would clearly rather go that route. Or do these things generally go bad due to something I can't fix?
Thanks again!

Hi there,

It is usually the windings in the coil that break down or an earth leak through the body, the spark will always seek the easiest path to earth, so if there is a fault with a coil, it will short the spark and you get a miss fire, on V8 CID engines they can look like Christmas lights in the dark when they have a coil or lead shorting problem.

Mark (mhpautos)

Thank you for your responses! Lol I just used some dielectric grease and boom. All is well again

Hi there,

Thats good to hear, to be honest i would of thought that you would be up for a coil, but luck is on your side, the main thing is your up and running again, thank you for the feedback.

Good luck,

Mark (mhpautos)